[NewsPoster]

[Updated with new information from 2K] The iOS port of 2K's atmospheric shooter Bioshock has been completely delisted from the App Store. The game, which failed to function under iOS 8.4, is now clearly no longer being updated despite promises of a patch, not available for purchase, and cannot be downloaded by prior purchasers under any circumstances.

A patch was initially promised by 2K to fix problems with the game shortly after the debut of iOS 8.4, but never materialized. Customer support for 2K said to a customer complaining about the situation that the company "understands you're having issues with Bioshock for mobile gaming. Unfortunately, you are correct we don't currently have this game for mobile gaming anymore, which I know can be frustrating. The removal of the game was a developer decision. This happens occasionally, but thankfully not often."

Additionally, the company is directing irritated users to seek a refund from Apple. The statement from 2K also says that "if you purchased Bioshock for iOS and you would like a refund, Apple will be of great assistance. Since the transaction wasn't completed through us, we can not perform a full refund back to you. However you will be able to complete a refund with Apple. They will be able to do this for you."

It is unclear if Apple will do so, however. For a refund, customers are generally directed to the "report a problem" website, which clearly states that refunds are limited to 90 days. Bioshock was released for iOS on August 28, 2014 -- more than a year ago. Purchasers of the title would have had to buy the game since the end of June of this year to qualify for Apple's 90-day return window. At its peak price, the title sold for $15.

Update: In a new statement provided by 2K to TouchArcade, the withdrawal of the title appears to be only temporary. According to the second release by the company, "2K recently provided inaccurate information to customers surrounding removal of BioShock for iOS from the App Store. BioShock is currently incompatible with iOS versions 8.4 and higher, and as such, is temporarily removed for purchase from the App Store."

"2K is fixing the compatibility issue, and when resolved, will place BioShock back on the App Store for purchase. Customers who already own BioShock may continue playing the game with iOS version 8.3 or earlier. 2K regrets the initial customer service error, and looks forward to delivering an updated version of BioShock for iOS in the near future."

[pairof9s]

update = lip service

If you've bought Bioshock, you're still unable to use it with no tangible solution date (unless you're one of the 3 people still using iOS 8.3). If not, you can't buy it nor should you from a company that at best is completely inept at addressing both development and support issues.

2K, thanks for the PSA on a bad product.

[Makosuke]

It seems pretty egregious to have a port of a AAA title become unplayable due to a minor OS update less than a year after release (not like it was some ancient app store release that had been languishing for years), and then still not have it fixed nearly three months later.

I'm not an iOS developer, but it seems like you either need to have no interest in maintaining your code, really shoddy port, or both, to end up in this situation.

I do hope they fix it, though. A TVOS version would be nice, too, but given precedent I'm not optimistic.